Revelation 21:2

I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

Central Mashan Miao girls long for the day they will be married to the man of their choice. They know that it will take some effort on their part, some travel, and possibly living in a village apart from their families. Yet they know that it will be worth the effort. Likewise, the Church must be ready to endure hardships and heartaches before the Lord transforms her into a beautiful bride. Though the path will be hard, it will be worth it!

Pray for the Church to endure and wait patiently for the day when we will be united with Him.

Central Mashan Miao (ma-shahn-meow)

Grandmother Sing’s wrinkled, work-worn hands caressed her two granddaughters’ smooth, soft hands. “You remind me of the Two Sisters from one of our legends.” Both girls sat up, intently waiting for the story they knew would come.

“After our people were scattered by the massacre of a half-million of us, we fled to the mountain tops where we congregated in small villages. There arose a problem. There were few suitors for the girls to marry. Two sisters who were unhappy that they could not find anyone suitable for a husband in their village were sent to a neighboring village where the people had arranged a festival for them. There they met two handsome young men who became their husbands.”

The girls giggled. One of them added, “That is why even now we go to another village to find our husbands.” Grandmother nodded and smiled.

Today only about 200 Central Mashan Miaos profess Christianity out of about 112,000 people; but the remoteness of their villages and the evolved differences in their language make spreading the gospel difficult.

Pray that the gospel would be spread with as much vigor from community to community as the people now invest in finding husbands in other villages. Pray that the Lord will raise up evangelists with a burning heart for the salvation of the Central Mashan Miao people. Pray that this people will be convicted of sin and drawn to Christ by the Holy Spirit.